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On Ugliness

Umberto Eco

Hardcover | Pages: 456 pages

Rating: 3.84 | 17436 Users | 149 Reviews

Specify Of Books On Ugliness

Title	:	On Ugliness
Author	:	Umberto Eco
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	Deluxe Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 456 pages
Published	:	October 30th 2007 by Rizzoli International Publications (first published 2007)
Categories	:	Art. Nonfiction. Philosophy. History. Art History

Rendition As Books On Ugliness

In the mold of his acclaimed "History of Beauty," renowned cultural critic Umberto Eco's "On Ugliness" is an exploration of the monstrous and the repellant in visual culture and the arts. What is the voyeuristic impulse behind our attraction to the gruesome and the horrible? Where does the magnetic appeal of the sordid and the scandalous come from? Is ugliness also in the eye of the beholder?
Eco's encyclopedic knowledge and captivating storytelling skills combine in this ingenious study of the Ugly, revealing that what we often shield ourselves from and shun in everyday life is what we're most attracted to subliminally. Topics range from Milton's Satan to Goethe's Mephistopheles; from witchcraft and medieval torture tactics to martyrs, hermits, and penitents; from lunar births and disemboweled corpses to mythic monsters and sideshow freaks; and from Decadentism and picturesque ugliness to the tacky, kitsch, and camp, and the aesthetics of excess and vice. With abundant examples of painting and sculpture ranging from ancient Greek amphorae to Bosch, Brueghel, and Goya among others, and with quotations from the most celebrated writers and philosophers of each age, this provocative discussion explores in-depth the concepts of evil, depravity, and darkness in art and literature.

Describe Books Supposing On Ugliness

Original Title:	Storia della bruttezza
ISBN:	0847829863 (ISBN13: 9780847829866)
Edition Language:	English

Rating Of Books On Ugliness

Ratings: 3.84 From 17436 Users | 149 Reviews

Evaluate Of Books On Ugliness

Like his History of Beauty, this is a source-book curated by Eco rather than an analysis or series of essays. That said, this is more diverse and slightly more unexpected given that 'ugliness' reaches beyond a familiar canon of texts and artworks. The range of extracts is a testament to Eco's extraordinary erudition, so it would have been nice if he'd had the space to say something beyond the established, familiar and, sometimes, simplistic. For example, in the chapter on 'female ugliness', he

This is not a book that can be digested at one sitting. Art is a work of contemplation and Eco provides art and supporting literature, poetry, philosophy, to help us ponder that part of us which is not easily embraced. After each page, I want to look at a bust of Socrates and say, indeed, I know, I know nothing, yet keep going.Not easily, but keeping on.

So far this book is very interesting. I've only just started it but I am having a problem putting it down.I bought this book a week ago and have only one section to go. I love it. I found myself wanting to highlight lots of stuff but had to really control myself. I have friends at work who want to read it when I am done but I am afraid it will get messed up for I also was excited to get it in plastic.

This is a coffee-table history book; I was immediately disappointed when I received the book due to the thickness, the tiny size of the font, and the large number of pictures that were included. After reading through the beginning, I set the book aside--it definitely doesn't belong to the popular science genre (social science sub-genre) that I'd originally assigned it to after reading a synopsis.It seems that most of Eco's non-fiction books really aren't meant to be read by anyone other than

I LOVED this book!!! At first I was put off by all the literary quotes. Once I realized that they were an essential part of the experience, and not just Umberto Eco overkill, I started really enjoying it. His chapter on evil, hell and purgatory is still imprinted in my soul. If the bit by St. Alphonsus Liguori (preparation for death), doesn't scare you into being a decent human being, I don't know what will. I also learned so much about other writers, poets, and art through cross-referencing,

This is an amazing work that exhaustively catalogues the artistic and social concept of ugliness throughout history. While the book focuses on the perception of ugliness in many societies and time periods, the bulk of it deals primarily with western European societies since Roman times. Eco has used his extensive knowledge of medieval and Renascence art and literature to paint a compelling, profound, and often absurdly amusing picture of the psycho-social mechanisms that define beauty and its

An intriguing read, with lots of pictures, this book is a chronicle of the opposite of attractiveness and in what way it's been applied through the arts and culture to imply certain things - whether they be about ethnicity, character or intelligence.(As a side note, my copy was extremely heavy! Must have been the high-quality paper on which the photographs were reprinted - almost every page! It was thick, but not too bad. Just heavier than I expected. I hated lugging that thing in my knapsack!)